9/22/2014

The Writing Of Franz Kafka And Kafkaesque Art

By Karina Frost


Franz Kafka was a major novelist and short story writer. While he left a large body of work, he had requested it be destroyed upon his death. Fortunately, that did not happen. Instead, much of it has been published posthumously. The most famous and well known of these writings are most likely The Metamorphosis and The Trial. Many artists now create elaborate pieces of horrific or nightmarish art now known as kafkaesque art.

Most of his work expresses concerns about current events, one being the rapid growth of capitalism and corporate greed. Franz may very well have been a writer ahead of his time. Or, one which could have provided a great deal of insight as to how the world would be in the future. Whatever the case, kafkaesque is a label that has now been given to artwork by a number of artists who paint or create photographic images based on his writings.

The majority of Kafka's work draws a comparison between concerns and current events at the time. He seem to portray a belief in most of his work that the world was not only void of meaning but also malevolent toward the individual. His overall belief about society being that most people were mean and menacing due to this new era of greed and capitalism.

The majority of his work draws a strong comparison between current events and concerns and the individual's relation to society. Franz believed, or at least seem to portray a belief that the world was not only void of meaning but also malevolent toward the individual. The writer also provided the ideology that society is less than hospitable and is overall menacing.

The writer, being from a middle class Germanic Jewish family from Prague has many reasons for his views of society. While he was born to a Germanic Jewish family, he identified as Austrian and Hungarian rather than German. With dual citizenship, he also spoke a second language of Czech though not as well as his native language.

Kafka became quite ill in 1917, he later received a diagnosis of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is an illness that requires a great deal of ongoing convalescent care whether in a home or rehabilitation center. After years of treatment, he later moved to Berlin. It was in Berlin where the writer fell in love with a young Jewish girl. Being he was a Germanic Jew, her mother had reservations but liked Kafka so with the blessing of the young girl's mother, the two were married.

Sadly, in 1917, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a disease which requires a great deal of convalescent care. After several years in treatment, he moved to Berlin and developed a relationship with a Czech journalist. He then lived with a 25 year old teacher from a Jewish family. While not certain about the lack of Faith, her mother loved Kafka, so the young girl and Kafka married.

Franz, like many artists, suffered a serious mental illness. Whether this illness only included those diagnosed as anxiety and depression, or something more severe is unknown. Though, it certainly seems to some in the mental health profession that the ongoing darkness and images he painted with words may also have indicated the presence of schizophrenia.




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